Apparatus for mechanically treating flax stalks and the like



June 21, 1938. H. WILKINSON ET AL APPARATUS FOR MECHANICALLY TREATING FLAX STALKS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 5, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet l N 1 MWW E mm M T! wm E wp m N a n H m NR, E0 HN June 21, 1938; H. Wll KlNSO N ET AL ,3

APPARATUS FOR MECHANICALLY TREATING FLAX STALKS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 5, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 mvamons MLKINSON ET NGTON W n-T nN1 June 21, 1938. H? WILKINSON ET AL.

APPARATUS FOR MECHANICALLX TREATING FLAX STALKS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 5, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 WILKINSON N.P0mmerol:

" FIT R June 21, 1938. H. WILKINSON ET AL 2,121,378

APPARATUS FOR MECHANICALLY TREATING FLAX STALKS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 5, 19556 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORSZ Q HENRY WILKINSON NORMHN PILKINGTON ziwf m HTTOQNEY Patented June 21, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT: OFFICE APPARATUS FOR MECHANICALLY TREAT- mo, FLAX STALKS AND THE LIKE land ' Application February 5, 1936, Serial No. 62,472

In Great Britain February 16, 1935 1 Claim.

This invention has to do with a method of and apparatus for treating flax stalks or flax straw (or like bast fibrous material), for the ultimate production of flax or like fibre of a suitable staple length from which laps or the like of said flax or like fibres can be later produced and thereafter blended or combined with laps or the like of cotton or other fibre or fibres to be further worked to produce composite yarns of flax or such like 10 and cotton or other fibre or fibres. The present invention is only concerned as to improvements up to the point of production and conveyance of a decorticated mass or body of flax or like fibres of an appropriate staple, as for example, a staple 15? of 4 inches or more or less in length, and of dealing with the trash matter on and following decortication and other treatment herein and later described.

The method is concerned with a continuous process according to which the harvested flax stalks or straw or the like (which may or may not be de-seeded) can be continuously dealt with so as to crush the stalks, decorticate the same, assist the riddance of bark; dust, trash, etc., to submit 25, the decorticated fibrous material to stripping action, and thento combing or beating treatment to break same up into staple lengths, to get rid of further trash, and to pneumatically convey the staple length flax or like fibre to an appropriate 0,, place or receptacle, if desired, subjecting the staple length flax or like fibres so obtained to further opening or cleaning treatment by passing same through a further dusting, opening or cleaning apparatus or more than one of such.

5 The method also embraces provision to deal with the trash as hereafter suggested.

The method may permit of retting being omitted, as also of hackling treatment in the ordinary sense, and the method contemplates a 40: continuous process from the initial feeding or the flax straw or stalks or the like to the delivery of the staple length flax or like fibre at one point, with the obtainment of the main portion of collected trash or waste at another point.

45. The apparatus comprises or consists of means which function and co-operate together for the In the drawings:-

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one construction of apparatus which operates according to the method described herein.

Fig. 1a is a detail view.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation showing one feed arrangement and fluted roller system and part of a co-operating beater or opening cylinder.

Fig. 3 is an outside side-elevation of the mechanism seen in Fig. 2. r

-Fig. 4 is a plan view of the apparatus and shows in diagrammatic fashion a suitable gearing and driving arrangement.

There isprovided any appropriate feed mechanism, as it may well be a feeder lattice a with collector roller 19, but any other approved feeding-arrangement which will feed forward the flax or like straw or stalks may be used. The said straw or stalks may be de-seeded or otherwise preliminarily treated in the known way.

The feeder lattice a delivers the said straw or stalks deposited thereonto one or more pairs of crusher rollers c, the straw or stalks being fed longitudinally. These crusher rollers c, e have suitable peripheries, the same being shown fluted and they are inter-geared and driven, The. upper roller 0 is shown assprin'g weighted by bars 0 heldlon the bearing blocks by rods 0 upon which adjustable springs. c act. Then follows a succession of pairs of decortioating rollers, four pairs being shown but a less or greater number than four pairs may be used. These four pairs of decorticating rollers are lettered d (1 d dZ d (1 d d These pairs of decorticating rollers are showngas fluted rollers,,as clearly represented in Fig. 2. The bottom rollers d ,11 cL are positively driven, whilst the upper rollers (1 (1 (1 0Z are driven by contact; or they may be geared. These decorticating rollers diminish progressively in diameter, but are driven at a constant speed, the diminutionof diameter giving a slightly less surface speed. Each upper decorticating roller is shown spring weighted, there being provided arms 12 which press on the bearing blocks of the upper rollers, and to these arms d are attached rods d acted upon by adjustable. springs'd", All the decorticating rollers (1 0Z to 1%, d (being of slightly decreasing diameter) run at a progressively slightly less surface speed so as not to break the straw or stalks in the direction of their length, butrather to crush and slightly crimp the same. There then follows, say two pairs of stripping rollers f f f I, but one or more than two pairs may be provided. These stripping rollers f f f J' are shown fluted (see Fig. 2) and these are of equal diameter as to each pair but they are so driven as to run at a slightly higher peripheral speed than the last pair of decorticating rollers (1 d so as to exercise a slight drafting action which tends to separate or strip the bark, or trash, etc., from the fibre, and to some extent to de-crimp or take out the crimp imparted to the flax or like straw or stalks by the action of the decorticating rollers. v

The stripping rollers f f f f are shown as spring weighted, there being arms f engaging the bearing blocks of the upper rollers and rods I acted upon by adjustable springs I (see Fig. 3). As regards the stripping rollers f 1 I I, each pair is positively driven, the pairs being geared together (see Fig. 4). Then follows one or more pairs of delivery rollers, one pair 9, g being shown, said rollers being indicated as provided with shallow flutes. These delivery rollers g, g are both positively driven at a slightly higher speed than the stripping rollers to I. The upper roller in each pair is shown as spring weighted by arms 9 which press on the bearing blocks and have rods g upon which adjustable springs g act.

The collecting roller 1) and the lattice a are shown positively driven by gear, and the crusher rollers c, c are both positively driven.

The diagrammatic plan, Fig. 4, shows a gear chart of the driving mechanism and no detailed explanation of this is necessary. In Fig. 4, the main driving shaft is marked l and this actuates an auxiliary shaft 2 which drives a gear 4 on a stud shaft 3 which, through gear and intermediate wheels, as indicated, drives the feed lattice a and the various rollers at the proper speeds and in the right directions.

The treatment from lattice or feed arrangement to delivery rollers, is crushing, decorticating, and stripping and straightening treatment, whereby the flat or like straw is somewhat crushed so that the outer membrane or bark and the woody core is to a great extent loosened or separated (for example about 40 per cent) and suchv detached trash falls and can be directed by underneath inclined containing walls h into trash collecting compartments h, h where it may collect. From the main collecting compartment h the trash can be removed by pneumatic conveyance along a suction pipe or. pipes 71. or by a conveying apron 71. as indicated by the Fig. 1a; or in other manner. The compartment h can be emptied as and when required.

Working adjacent the delivery rollers g, g is a beater or opening cylinder and advantageously a type of porcupine opener or cylinder 12 which operates over a segmental grid 7' of approximately through which grid 9' further trash is thrown out into the trash collecting compartment h. Extending upwards at the back of the beater or opening cylinder housing from the lower edge of the grid 7' is a segmental longitudinal cover It. whichmay be of stout woven wire mesh with numerous apertures of about a quarter of an inch in size and such cover It may extend over about and wholly across the opener structure. Thus, it encloses something like one half 'of the beater or opening cylinder 1'.

There is apreferably curved delivery or pneumatic conveyance pipe m leading forward from and approximately tangential to the segmental mesh cover k, and there is an air opening or intake at n and perforated sheet o, or equivalent provision to allow air to enter and get into the upper encasement of the revolving beater or opening cylinder 2' to supply the pneumatic conveyance pipe m and any necessary valve contrivances can be fitted. The letter n denotes a hinged inspection door.

The curved pneumatic conveyance pipe 112 leads to any place of deposit or storage bin or receptacle, or, if desired, to a dusting machine or other opener used for the purpose of removing any remaining dust or trash.

From the dusting machine (if used) or from the place of deposit or the receiving receptacle the clean and staple length fibre is ultimately delivered to the vat for the wet or other treatment of the staple length flax or like fibre produced by the apparatus described.

According to the relative speed of the delivery rollers g, g and the revolving beater or opening cylinder 1', so is the flax or like straw or stalks fed and broken up into staple lengths, whilst further trash is got rid of and thrown through the grid 7' into the trash compartment h, the staple length fibre being carried forward pneumatically as already explained.

In operating, the flax or like straw or stalks, which need not necessarily be retted, are fed to the apparatus and first come under the crushing rollers, being then passed onto the succession of decorticating rollers which do not break the stalks in the direction of their length but rather tend to further bruise or crush and crimp same. Then the stripping rollers act to still feed and strip and straighten or take out the crimp from the flax or like straw or stalks, and the delivery rollers such as g, 9 deliver to the co-acting staple length producing beater or opening cylinder contrivance i which has the cleaning and staple length producing action already mentioned.

The continued and progressive roller treatment breaks up and detaches a good deal of the outer skin or bark and the woody core, leaving the flax or like fibre fairly clear therefrom, and the main body of the separated trash falls down into the trash compartment h from which it can be pneumatically or mechanically removed, as such trash may have a small commercial value The method is well adapted for the production and delivery of staple length flax or like fibre at a desired point where a mass of such is to be deposited or taken, onwards to provide fibres to be worked up for the ultimate production of laps or supplies of flax or like fibre to be subsequently blended or combined with laps or opened supplies of cotton or other fibre to form the supply for the ultimate production of composite or combination yarns (of flax or the like and cotton or the like) and afterwards a cloth of such combined fibres, and the treatment is distinct in that in the ordinary linen processes the straw or stalks are used in full length staple, whilst by our method is effected a continuous crushing and decortication, opening and cleaning with production of a suitable staple length of flax or like fibre to mix with cotton or other fibres, with continuous and purely automatic cleaning, coning rolls being arranged on the delivery side of the feed rolls with the pairs uniformly spaced,

the first pair of rolls of the series being of greater diameter than the last pair of rolls of the series andthe intermediate pairs being gradually decreased in diameter throughout the series, all of said rolls being provided with a uniform number of teeth whereby the pitch of the teeth on the several pairs gradually decreases from the first to the last pairs of rolls, means to drive said crimping rolls at uniform revolutions per minute whereby to prevent draft on the straw as it passes through said crimping roll, a series of pairs of decrimping rolls positioned to receive material delivered from the crimping rolls, each roll of the decrimping rolls having its periphery provided with shallow grooves forming spaced cusps extending longitudinally of the roll, said decrimping rolls being arranged to revolve with the cusps of one roll of the pair entering the grooves of the other roll of the pair, and a pair of corrugated delivery rolls arranged to receive material from the decrimping rolls.

HENRY WILKINSON. NORMAN PILKINGTON. 

